Deer

A male Southern Pudú fawn born on December 19 at the Los Angeles Zoo has been named "Haechan" after a musician who, according to his fans, resembles the tiny deer species.

A member of the K-Pop group NCT, Haechan (the musician) has for many years been nicknamed “Pudú” by his fans. After the baby Pudú’s birth last month, Los Angeles Zoo staff decided to hold a Facebook fundraiser to gather support for the name. They exceeded their fundraising goal within hours.

More than $2,700 was raised. The funds will support conservation of endangered, vulnerable, threatened and near threatened species such as the Pudú, whose wild populations are decreasing due to habitat loss.

Photo Credit: Jamie Pham/GLAZA

Little Haechan (the Pudú) is thriving under the care of first-time parents Steph and Mario. The tiny fawn prefers to stay close to Steph and can sometimes be difficult for zoo guests to locate. As he grows, Haechan will gain confidence and spend more time away from mom.

Both species of Pudú – Northern and Southern – are native to South America where they inhabit the dense undergrowth of temperate rain forests. Little is known about their lifestyle because they are so secretive. Pudú are the smallest species of deer in the world, with the Northern Pudú being slightly larger than the Southern Pudú. Fawns typically weigh less than three pounds at birth.

Destruction of their rain forest habitat has resulted in both Pudú species being under threat of extinction. Breeding programs like those of the Los Angeles Zoo are critical to gaining understanding of these elusive and endangered creatures.

A Visayan Spotted Deer, which is believed to be one of the rarest mammals in the world, has been born at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo.

Photo Credit: RZSS/Katie Paton

The latest arrival will join the conservation breeding program aimed at safeguarding this endangered species, which is thought to be extinct in over 95% of its native habitat.

The male fawn, which is yet to be named by keepers, was born in early June and has been delighting visitors as he enjoys exploring his enclosure. The youngster will stay close to his mother, Summer, for around six months before becoming more independent.

Karen Stiven, senior keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “It is very exciting to have a fawn born at the zoo. The Visayan Spotted Deer is facing severe threats from intensive hunting and land clearing for agriculture.”

Found only on the Visayan islands in the Philippines, the species is thought to be one of the most narrowly distributed mammals on the planet, with possibly just a few hundred remaining in the wild.

“This makes each addition to the breeding programme a positive step towards a genetically stable population, which may need to be introduced to the wild in the future,” said Stiven.

Bunny, a Reindeer at Brookfield Zoo, gave birth to a fawn on April 2 after a 7½-month gestation. Within just a few minutes of the birth, the fawn was up and walking.

The fawn, Bunny’s second, weighed just over 12 pounds at birth but is expected to double her weight in just two weeks, thanks to the richness of her mother’s milk. She will soon graze on solid food but will continue to nurse from Bunny for about six months.

Photo Credit: Jim Schultz/Chicago Zoological Society

Reindeer fawns are born with dark fur that absorbs radiant heat from the sun, which is important in the chilly northern regions where Reindeer live. At about two to three months, fawns begin to shed their dark fur as lighter-colored fur grows in. At about one month of age, little antler buds begin to develop, followed by short spikes within the first year.

Reindeer differ from other Deer species because their noses are covered with fur and both sexes have antlers. The antlers are made of solid living bone and no two sets are alike. Antlers grow out of small bony platforms called pedicles and are covered with velvet, a soft tissue that supplies necessary nutrients. Males shed their antlers in November and December and females in January or February. Both genders begin growing a new set of antlers in early spring.

A rare, tiny Philippine Spotted Deer now makes her home at Chester Zoo. The fawn was born December 15 to five-year-old mum, Tala, and six-year-old dad, Bulan. The new little “dear” was led out for her first public appearance by the proud parents.

The zoo’s new arrival is the latest to be born to an acclaimed conservation breeding programme, set up at the request of the Philippine government, which is working to ensure a healthy and genetically viable back-up population of the animals in Europe.

Photo Credits: Chester Zoo

The species is currently listed as “endangered” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list, and conservation experts fear that fewer than 2,500 now remain in the wild. They have already become extinct on several islands in the Philippines, largely due to intensive, illegal hunting and huge deforestation.

We normally think of Bunnies at Easter and Reindeer at Christmas. But on April 12, a Reindeer named Bunny at the Brookfield Zoo delivered a fawn just a few days before Easter.

This is the first Reindeer birth at the zoo since 1980. Bunny and the sire, Karl, arrived at the Brookfield Zoo in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

The male fawn weighed about seven pounds at birth, but is expected to grow rapidly, fueled by his mothers’ rich milk. Within just one hour of birth, the fawn was up and walking. A one-day-old Reindeer fawn can outrun a human.

Reindeer are pregnant for six-and-a-half to eight months. Fawns are born with dark fur that acts as camouflage and absorbs heat from the sun, an important feature for a species that lives in cold climates. By the time the fawn is a few months old, it will shed its dark fur as lighter-colored fur grows in. Little antler buds will also begin to develop in a few months. In most Reindeer populations, both sexes grow antlers.

Reindeer, called Caribou in North America, live in Norway, Finland, Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, Canada, and a few other locations. However, herds have been reported to be smaller in size than usual. This apparent decline has been linked to climate change. There are 14 subspecies of Reindeer, including two that have gone extinct. Reindeer are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

An extremely rare Philippine Spotted Deer was born on December 26 at Chester Zoo. The tiny male fawn, which keepers say appears healthy and strong, was shown off for the first time by its proud parents this week.

Photo Credit: Chester Zoo

Philippine Spotted Deer are one of the world’s most threatened Deer species. Zookeepers have hailed the arrival as “a big boost for the species” with fewer than 2,500 of the animals – listed as endangered on Internal Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species - now estimated to remain in the wild.

Experts say a combination of factors including illegal hunting and large-scale habitat loss have contributed to the demise of the species.

As they breed a back-up population in Europe at the request of the Philippine government, Chester Zoo staff support efforts to protect and restore Deer habitat in the Philippines and build breeding centers for the species.

Like many island nations, the Philippines are home to many unique species. But a rapidly expanding human population, along with the loss of 90% of the islands’ original forest cover, has brought many species under threat.

In the wild, the Deer can be found in the rainforests of the Philippines’ Visayan islands of Panay and Negros. It once roamed across other Visayan islands such as Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate and Samar – but is now regionally extinct on those islands.

A rare Bukhara Deer calf born in June at Scotland’s RZSS Highland Wildlife Park is part of a global effort to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

Bukhara deer are a subspecies of Red Deer native to central Asia. These deer were once one of the world's most threatened mammal species after populations diminished greatly in the 1970s and 1980s. By 1999, only 350 Deer were left in the wild.

Photo Credit: RZSS/Alex Riddell

Thanks to reintroduction of zoo-born animals and restoration of their natural habitat, Bukhara deer now number over 1,400 animals in the wild. While the reintroduction of this Deer has been successful, their population numbers are still low, which is why captive breeding of Bukhara deer remains important to their survival.

RZSS Highland Wildlife Park is home to the only breeding herd of Bukhara deer in the United Kingdom and currently has a herd of six animals.

On September 29, M’Bopicuá, known in Spanish as Estación de Cría de Fauna M'Bopicuá, welcomed a little Pampas Deer into the world. The fawn is a healthy female, and she is being well care-for by her mother. The Pampas Deer is a threatened species in Uruguay, where the station is located.

Once found widely throughout the grasslands of South America, the Pampas Deer now exists in small, isolated populations in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Conversion of habitat for agriculture and predation by feral dogs have contributed to their decline. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the remaining habitat of the Pampas Deer is less than one percent of what existed in 1900. Historically, Pampas deer were hunted sustainably for their meat and skins, but their use is much less common now that the species is threatened.

M’Bopicuá Breeding Station works to protect and repopulate native species in danger of extinction around their conservation area. A member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, M’Bopicuá also focuses on environmental education and training with local school children. This little fawn may play an important role in the station's breeding program, or someday be released into protected conservation land.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo announced the birth of a female Reindeer, the first born to parents Tundra (mother) and Klondike (father). They welcomed the calf in the early morning hours on May 4. The newborn was immediately given the name Derby by her keepers, in honor of her birth on Derby Day (the running of the Kentucky Derby). She weighed approximately 11.5 pounds (5.2 kg) -- the largest Reindeer calf to be born at the zoo to date. Derby currently weighs 55 pounds (25 kg) and has recently been enjoying forays out in the sunny yard with the herd.

Although called by different names in North America, wild Caribou and domestic Reindeer are considered to be the same species throughout the world. They are native to the Arctic and Subarctic regions, living in the tundra and taiga, and boreal forests of North America and northern Eurasia.

Photo Credit: Amelia Beamish / Rosamond Gifford Zoo

Reindeer migrate over great distances throughout the year, moving between calving and wintering grounds. Their migratory patterns shift according to the season and help minimize overgrazing and ensure ample food supply for the herd. Unlike others of the Deer family, both male and female Reindeer grow antlers. The antlers have a distinctive “velvet” appearance, comprised of skin, blood vessels, and soft brown fur. Each year, antlers are shed: bulls lose their antlers after the rut and females lose theirs after giving birth in the spring.

The latest big thing at
the Detroit Zoo is actually quite small. A
female Southern Pudu, the smallest species of deer, was born on May 20th.
The fawn is the fifth Pudu born at the zoo since the species was introduced in
2008.

The fawn is a welcome addition to the captive
population of Pudus, according to Detroit Zoological Society Curator of Mammals
Robert Lessnau. “There are less than thirty Pudus in U.S. zoos, so this birth
is significant, especially since the baby is a female.”

The fawn joins her parents, 6-year-old Carol and
7-year-old T. Roy, and sister Hamill Girl – born in 2012 – in their habitat
near two other South American mammals, the giant anteaters and bush dogs.

Photo credits: first photo by Lee Fisher, second photo by Patti Truesdell

Found in the temperate rainforests of southern
Chile and Argentina, the Southern Pudu can reach a height of 18 inches at the
shoulder and weigh up to 25 pounds at maturity. The tiny deer has reddish-brown
fur and diminutive features, including rounded ears, small black eyes and short legs. Fawns are weaned at two months old, and reach their full adult size at three months old. The Southern Pudu is listed as ‘threatened’
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A decrease in available habitat, subsistence hunting and poaching for the exotic pet trade contribute to their decline. Additional factors include predation by domestic
dogs and competition with non-native species of deer.